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LIFEalerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

Belgium – Investigates alleged illegal euthanasia deaths

Belgium officials are investigating around ten euthanasia cases which may not have murder. In an anonymous letter to the public prosecutor, they say: “Our family member passed away two years ago, and we were told that euthanasia was presumed to have been carried out without the doctors informing us or following the necessary procedure. This is a very traumatic experience for us.” Two doctors were named in the letter. Belgium’s chief euthanasia overseer says that not every case of euthanasia gets reported to the committee, as it should, and doctors freely admit that. Potential for abuse was the among the concerns of euthanasia opponents and cases like these prove their concerns were right about the slippery slope. More

South Africa – New legal challenge attempts to legalise euthanasia

A new legal challenge was instituted in the Johannesburg High Court in August 2017 in an attempt to legalise physician assisted suicide (PAS) and active voluntary euthanasia (PAE). Currently, South African law deems these acts are prohibited and are treated either as murder or culpable homicide. The new case is expected to proceed to trial in early 2021 and Cause For Justice (CFJ) will be contributing to the case by legal arguments. CFJ’s main concern is that legalized euthanasia will result in a “cultural shift and slippery slope towards acceptance of death as a solution to human pain and suffering” (which has been the case in countries that have legalized it). See Fatal Flaws Documentary. More, Fatal Flaws.

Netherlands – Doctors can sedate dementia patients before euthanizing them

Doctor no longer have to agree with a patient on the time or manner in which euthanasia will be given, sedation is permissible if a patient is unable to communicate or becomes disturbed, agitated or aggressive in cases of severe dementia. Family members no longer need to be consulted either. This came when a doctor sedated a 74-year-old patient without her knowledge before killing her, was cleared of wrongdoing. Dutch euthanasia doctor Bert Keizer admitted that “those who embark on euthanasia venture down a slippery slope along which you irrevocably slide down to the random killing of defenceless sick people”. More

LIFEalerts – Paedophilia

Paedophilia

USA – New Legislation aims to ban sales & possession of sex dolls

A bill aiming to ban the sale and possession of sex dolls that look like children is before the U.S. House. This legislation is called the CREEPER Act 2.0. Patrick Trueman, the CEO and president of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said “Recently, a mother discovered that an image of her 8-year-old daughter’s face was used on a sex doll being sold on the Internet.” The bill’s detractors say that sex dolls would be a form of harm reduction that meets the needs of individuals who would want to avoid harming real children, but no research exists to prove that this would prevent the actual abuse of children. Research does however exist that repeating this behaviour (especially sexual behaviour) actually has a normalising effect.

The Australian Institute of Chronology did a literature review on the research surrounding child sex dolls and found that it desensitizes the user from the harm that child sexual abuse causes because dolls don’t give any kind of emotional feedback that indicates pain and discomfort, maybe it even increases the risk of objectifying children and viewing them as sex commodities. Just like pornography which has been found to drive the demand for increased sexual exploitation. Some individuals start off watching normal soft porn but end up watching more extreme content to achieve the desired results. Extreme content includes violence against women, degrading of women, and an appetite for younger and younger ages. More

LIFEalerts – Pornography

Pornography

South Africa – No child is immune to the dangers online

The East Rand Child Protection (ERCP) Hotline was launched in October this year by Danie van Loggerenberg, the 13th Child Protection Hotline to be established in South Africa. Their goal is to take on any cases of child abuse, bullying or child neglect that can be reported to 071 523 9215. So far 1,000 children have been helped by ERCP and their network. Covid-19 has forced most children to online platforms for school, but at the same time opened them up to an ocean of pedophiles and bullies. One incident involved a 16-year-old boy who raped a 13-year-old girl after threatening to share explicit images of her far and wide. More, even more.

LIFEalerts – IVF & Surrogacy

IVF & Surrogacy

South Africa – Essentials and non-essentials during the covid-19 pandemic

Amrita Pande, an associate professor in the sociology department at the University of Cape Town, questions whether SA can justify investments in cutting-edge reproductive technology as essential during the pandemic while our health system is in a permanent state of crisis. Fearing that critical and scarce resources like personal protective equipment; hospital beds; operating rooms and emergency care, would be burdened if we pursue treatments that are not life-threatening. The causes of infertility, such as sexually transmitted infections, and poor medical treatment during an earlier birth or abortion, require affordable preventable measures rather high-cost and high-tech interventions that such patients cannot afford. More

Doctors For Life to Assist Pro-Life Member Doctor in High Court Application

Hammer

MEDIA RELEASE
 
Embargo: Immediate release                                Enquiries:  Doctors For Life Int.
Date:  30 October 2020                                          Telephone: 032 481 5550

After three years of stalling, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) on 6 October 2020 “withdrew” the remaining charges against Dr Jacques de Vos. Dr De Vos was charged with unprofessional conduct after allegedly advising a woman that her 19-week old unborn baby is a human being.  

Adv Keith Matthee SC, who represents Dr De Vos, argued that it is not possible in law to withdraw charges after Dr De Vos entered a plea in December 2019. Dr De Vos is entitled to an acquittal (or a conviction). Lawyers for Dr De Vos wrote to the HPCSA to request that the hearing continue so that Dr De Vos can be heard and that it can be decided whether he acted unprofessionally or not.  

This was also not the first time that the HPCSA “withdrew” charges in the three years that it delayed the case against the pro-life doctor. In 2018 the HPCSA “withdrew” the charges only to reinstate it again. The real reason why the HPCSA is unable to proceed with the hearing is that the so-called “complainant” never submitted a complaint to the HPCSA. Instead, a clear paper trail points to two doctors (Drs Van Wyk and Ismail) at 2 Military Hospital who drove their personal vendetta against Dr De Vos for not agreeing to their worldview justifying abortion.  

Doctors For Life has called on the HPCSA to charge Drs Van Wyk and Ismail with gross unprofessional conduct for abusing their powers to achieve their own ideological goals.  

Despite requests to the HPCSA to set a date to proceed with Dr De Vos’ matter, no response has been received except the chairperson who indicated he has no powers to make arrangements for a hearing to take place. Doctors for Life and Dr De Vos has now instructed their lawyers to launch an application in the North Gauteng High Court to compel the HPCSA to set the matter down for hearing, and to ask for a personal costs order against the HPCSA, and/or against individuals at the HPCSA in their personal capacities given the vexatious and malicious conduct of the persons responsible, and the ongoing and extreme prejudice this conduct is causing Dr De Vos. 

For more information, contact Doctors For Life International at 032 481 5550 or [email protected]

Doctors-For-Life-to-assist-pro-life-member-doctor-with-High-Court-application-Download

LIFEalerts – Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse

UK – Government urged to sell cocaine and ecstasy in pharmacies

A UK drugs liberalisation campaign group called Transform has recommended that Cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines should be “nationalised” and sold legally in government-run pharmacies to undermine global drug-related crime. In a book the group sets out practical ways to sell the drugs in pharmacies: no over 18’s, health and risk warning labels on the packaging, and specially trained chemists. Sounds like the same failed recommendations proposed by marijuana activists, because none of what they said would happen actually undermined global drug-related crime – it only made the problem worse and marijuana usage among teens increased in states that legalised it compared to states that did not. Fortunately, Home Office spokesperson said that the government remained opposed to legalising cannabis “because it is detrimental to health and mental health”. Read more

South Africa – Marijuana use before surgery can worsen pain during recovery

According to a small recent study, smoking or ingesting it in the hope of managing your pain after surgery might end up doing quite the opposite. Early research suggests that Cannabis is not effective for “, acute pain such as for surgery of a broken leg,” said lead author Dr Ian Holmen, an anaesthesiology resident at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, in a statement published by the American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA). Apart from an increase in acute pain, people who used marijuana before surgery also ended up requiring more anaesthesia during surgery, and used more painkillers during recovery. 

For their study, the research team studied the charts of 118 patients who had undergone surgery at the University of Colorado Hospital to repair a fractured tibia. They found that 30 (25.4%) patients had reported using cannabis prior to surgery. Comparing the two groups they found cannabis users used 58% more painkillers per day while in the hospital compared to non-users. Users also required an additional 12.4 millilitres of anaesthesia during surgery than those who did not use marijuana. The type and method of cannabis use, as well as how frequently it was used, were not known. Read more

LIFEalerts – Abortion

Abortion

Poland – High Court effectively bans abortion on babies with disabilities

A ruling by Poland’s highest court has effectively banned most abortions in a country where there are only about 2,000 a year. In an 11 to 2 decision, the Constitutional Tribunal declared that abortion due to foetal defects is unconstitutional. 1,074 of 1,100 abortions performed in 2019 were mostly Down syndrome babies. After nationwide protests in 2016, The governing Law and Justice party (PiS) legislators asked the Constitutional Court to rule on the legality of abortion for birth defects. Few media reports looked into the Court’s reasoning. In a nutshell the court condemned eugenics and contended that terminating pregnancy due to defects of the foetus amounted to eugenics – a sensitive issue in a country which suffered so much under Nazi occupation. Read more

UK – Media misleads public into believing abortion is ‘safe’

The Economist, probably the world’s most influential magazine, has come out strongly in support of at-home abortions. During the Covid-19 pandemic, women struggled getting rid of their unwanted babies and as a result, a number of countries have relaxed restrictions on mail-order drugs. This means that women can now have abortions without ever consulting a doctor face-to-face. The Economist welcomed the changes and claimed that “There is no evidence that at-home terminations are dangerous, and plenty to suggest that they are not”. However, there is evidence that two women have died recently in the UK after taking abortion pills. A midwife for the National Health Service wrote that 13 incidents were being investigated. One case where a woman was found at home the morning after starting the process and the second where a woman presented with sepsis and died very quickly. Read more

UK – Nurse considers legal action against Marie Stopes

A nurse, who feared for her life and needed emergency surgery after taking ‘DIY’ home abortion pills, is considering legal action against Marie Stopes UK for medical negligence. Having never been pregnant before, Sophie – a pseudonym – found herself with nowhere to turn to following the breakdown of her relationship with the father of the baby. Sophie contacted Marie Stopes seeking help and unsure of whether or not she wanted to proceed with her pregnancy. During her interactions with the abortion giant, the professional nurse said she was denied proper counselling, was rushed through the abortion process, and told that king the pills would be “just like bad period cramps” and that pain relief could be obtained from a pharmacy. However, Sophie experienced “excruciating pain”, was bleeding for ten days and still felt pregnant. After having an internal scan at the hospital to find out why she still felt pregnant she was told that she still had ‘products of conception’ inside of her that had a blood supply.

Now recovering after surgery, Sophie is receiving support from the Pregnancy Crisis Helpline, which supports women who are going through or have experienced crisis pregnancies. She is now keen to start a support group connecting women who have had similar experiences. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “Those running abortion services in England have elevated ideology over women’s safety, and we are seeing the tragic consequences of that. “We are concerned about how many more of the tens of thousands of women who have accessed this service have had similar traumatic experiences. Sadly, Sophie is not alone in her ordeal. A number of women have come forward to share the serious problems they’ve experienced after taking ‘DIY’ home abortion pills. Read more

Kenya – Marie Stopes abortion facility closes and fake doctors arrested

A police search of Marie Stopes abortion facility in Nairobi Pangani estate found ten aborted bodies of babies discarded and decomposing in a bin at the facility. Two ‘fake doctors’ who were not registered with The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council were also arrested for illegally committing abortions. The medical body has now ordered the closure of the facility and suspended its registration certificate and operating license with immediate effect. While Marie Stopes International claims to offer “exceptional quality” and “excellent healthcare”, the reality appears to be the opposite. A damning report from the UK’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) accused Marie Stopes International of paying staff bonuses for coercing women into abortions. Read more

USA – Trump admin joins five countries seeking to prohibit abortion

The Trump administration joins five other countries this week in signing a declaration which seeks to prohibit abortion. The Geneva Consensus is a coalition of states who oppose the United Nations’ (UN) Declaration of Human Rights, which are enshrined in international law. In particular, Geneva Consensus members disagree with the UN’s stance on abortion. The Geneva Consensus has no basis in international law and will not mean abortion or same-sex marriage is restricted in the US. Instead, the declaration is an attempt by the US and other members to change the conversation about what constitutes a human right. Read more

USA – New study finds mothers under increased pressure to abort babies with down syndrome

A new study highlighted in Scientific American found evidence of discrimination against unborn babies with disabilities. Authors Cindi May, a professor of psychology at the College of Charleston, and Jaclyn Hennessey Ford, a research assistant professor in the department of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College, surveyed more than 300 mothers of children diagnosed with Down syndrome. According to the researchers While some of the mothers described positive experiences with doctors and medical workers, many told the researchers that they had negative experiences, the mothers reported negative experiences with medical staff, including a lack of compassion, pressure to terminate their pregnancy, and pessimistic expectations about outcomes for their child and family. Many received limited or no additional resources or support systems.

According to a CBS News report that shocked the nation by exposing this discriminatory trend, nearly 100 percent of unborn babies who test positive for Down syndrome are aborted in Iceland. The rate in France was 77% in 2015, 90% in the UK and 67% in the United States. In England, new data shows the number of late-term abortions on unborn babies with Down syndrome has doubled in the past 10 years. A number of American states have passed laws to ban discrimination against unborn babies with Down syndrome and other disabilities, but many of the laws are blocked by legal challenges from the abortion industry. States also have been passing laws to provide better education and support for families of children diagnosed with Down syndrome. Because of this growing support, many families are being empowered to choose life for children with Down syndrome. Read more

LIFEalerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

World – Assisted dying round-up

In New Zealand the public will vote on voluntary euthanasia on October 17. In nine US states and the District of Columbia assisted suicide is legal. Some political observers believe that the Bay State could become the tenth. In Portugal earlier this year the parliament passed measures to permit euthanasia but got held up by an appeal for a referendum and will be worked out in October. In Austria four people are challenging the Constitutional Court on the euthanasia ban, the court will decide before the end of the year. In Ireland the issue of legalizing euthanasia is being debated but currently delayed until next year to grant time to parliament to study the issue. In Tasmania, the parliament of the Australian state is also still debating the merits of euthanasia. The suggested bill is the fourth in ten years. Previous bills failed in 2010, 2013 and 2017.

Let’s take a look at what happens when euthanasia is legalized; Argentine mother seeks to euthanize son who has cerebral palsy because she’s exhausted and fed up with caring for him. In the Netherlands, a woman seeking help with post-traumatic stress disorder was told she met the criteria to be euthanized on her first appointment. She was angry at this offer and said Yes, I’m broken, but I want to become whole again. I’m asking for help to get better, not for death!”. In Canada, a wife lost a lawsuit to prevent her husband’s death by euthanasia, another incident described a psychiatrist in Oregon who determined that an elderly woman with dementia was mentally unable to consent to assisted suicide, and believed her daughter was pushing for it, but it happened anyway. In USA, Texas a disabled, 46-year old African American man named Michael Hickson, was euthanized without his consent or that of his wife. The doctor said it was better to euthanize Michael because he is paralyzed and not like “walking and talking people.” In Belgium, nurses admitted to euthanizing patients without their consent. The future for many citizens in a country that legalizes euthanasia looks very grim when one considers the above accounts of ordinary people. Read extracts taken from: BioEdge, NewsBreak, National review, NY Post, Christian Post UK, Daily Mail

Netherlands – Seeks to extend euthanasia to children

The Netherlands Minister of Health, Hugo de Jonge, announced that their government will amend or re-interpret the euthanasia law to permit child euthanasia to help terminally ill sick children between one and twelve. Currently, Netherlands euthanasia law permits euthanasia for children as young as 12, when parents or guardians consent; and for disabled newborns. People over the age of 16 are considered adults and can therefore provide consent to euthanasia. The recommendation comes as experts found that a small group of children may be suffering because doctors fear the consequences of actions to hasten their deaths. A petition by citizenGo is circulating in opposition to this and has gathered over 20,000 signatures. Read more

Belgium – The ‘downside’ to euthanasia is swept under the rug

Three children euthanized in Belgium, one being an 11 year-old with cystic fibrosis (CF). This congenital respiratory disease is incurable and fatal, but modern treatments enable many patients to enjoy high quality of life well into their 30s or even beyond. A member of the euthanasia commission resigned in protest because it refused to recommend prosecution when a woman with dementia who had not requested euthanasia was nevertheless put to death at her family’s request. Since then, 360 Belgian doctors, academics and others have signed a petition calling for tighter controls on euthanasia for psychiatric patients. While debating assisted suicide legislation in the UK, one sponsor of the assisted suicide bill watched Fatal Flaws (a film that questions the so-called compassion around euthanasia) and had a change of mind. The next day he stood up in the legislature and said that he changed his mind after watching Fatal Flaws. Guernsey then defeated the assisted suicide bill by 24 to 14.

Sadly, under-reporting of euthanasia and euthanasia without request is common in Belgium. Lethally injecting people without request are considered criminal acts in every jurisdiction in the world, but under the banner of assisted death these acts becomes a difficult but necessary part of protecting the “human right” to kill in a post-post-modern society. (this article was written in 2018) Read more, Watch Fatal Flaws

LIFEalerts – Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation

USA – Children, Women Rescued in Ohio Sex Trafficking Raids

Authorities announced the rescue of more than 100 human trafficking victims, including 45 children, as part of a large operation in Ohio. The raids and enforcement actions also led to the arrest of 157 adults seeking sex with the victims.  More than 50 law enforcement agencies took part in Operation Autumn Hope, a state wide effort to tackle sex trafficking.  The operation yielded the arrests of 22 men who were seeking sex with minors. Another 157 would-be Johns were caught looking for sex with adult victims. During a news conference, Ohio Attorney General David Yost said that the difference between human trafficking and prostitution involved the force of a third party–a practice he said was akin to modern slavery. Read more

Germany – How COVID-19 influences prostitutes in Africa

In many places in Africa, sex for money is readily available, cheap, risky, and often illegal. The coronavirus makes it even worse. Gambia’s President ordered the closure of bars and nightclubs. Prostitution is widespread in Gambia but illegal.  SWEAT activist Turner sees the legalization and decriminalization of prostitution as the solution. “The arguments against legalization in South Africa are that prostitution contributes to child trafficking and is the reason for most HIV cases, which is not true,” says Turner. Doctors for Life disagrees with Turner’s belief because prostitution is inherently harmful based on studies done on the topic, and first-hand accounts of former prostitutes. Read more

LIFEalerts – Same Sex Attraction

Same Sex Attraction

Scotland – Judicial review against Scottish Ministers granted for redefining woman

The Court of Sessions granted permission on 16 October 2020 for a Judicial Review to proceed against Scottish Ministers for redefining “woman” and a substantive hearing has been set for 7th January 2021. For Women Scotland (FWS) is a network of women across Scotland campaigning against the Scottish Ministers. FWS believes the bill is fundamentally flawed and the Scottish Ministers acted unlawfully and in contravention of their duties under equality legislation which led to the Scottish Parliament exceeding its legislative competency in redefining “woman”. The bill does not require people to dress, look or behave in any particular way, but just using female pronouns and a female name on legal documents would be enough evidence of being female. Read more

USA – Physical interventions on minors to “affirm” a mistaken “gender identity” violate sound medical ethics

Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Fellow in American Principles and Public Policy. He writes on how a growing number of children in America and across the world are experiencing deep discomfort with their biological sex, known as gender dysphoria. Activists are trying to ban a psychological approach to help these children accept their bodies rather than irreversibly changing it with hormones and amputation of healthy body parts, by accusing practitioners of using abusive and harmful techniques. But they never provide credible evidence, and the therapy bans they support don’t target harmful practices. Sexual progressive activists really oppose being comfortable with one’s body.

“As a result, one-on-one counselling to help a teen struggling with body image due to anorexia would be permitted, but the very same counselling would be prohibited if the goal is to help a teen struggling with body image due to gender dysphoria. Activists use emotionally charged language, labelling all such techniques “conversion therapy.” They do not apply this label only to certain discredited techniques (such as electro-shock therapies), but to any therapeutic service—including basic talk therapy—to help a gender dysphoric youth feel comfortable without “transitioning.””

“The best outcome is always for people to feel comfortable in their own skin and with their sexuality. So why ban that intended goal? Indeed, even if one thought that sometimes “transitioning” was the best outcome for a particular patient, is it really credible to say that it is always the best—indeed the only legally permissible—outcome to work towards? It is absurd to pass laws banning therapy aimed at wholeness when we lack laws protecting children from actual unethical and harmful procedures in this area. As a preliminary point, the best available empirical studies show no benefit of either hormonal or surgical transition. But whatever one may think about the ethics of medical professionals’ “transitioning” adults, everyone should be able to agree that adults should not interfere with the natural, healthy development of the bodies and minds of children” Read more

South Africa – Same-sex couple discriminates against Beloftebos wedding venue owners

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has allegedly instituted an unfair discrimination case against Beloftebos wedding venue. Beloftebos indicated that it does not host same-sex weddings at the venue and, in doing so, they would violate their deeply held religious beliefs. Beloftebos owners also prohibits hosting events which celebrate Halloween, and events which request fortune telling booths etc. The same-sex couple is asking the court for a broad order, declaring that “the expression of religious beliefs as a basis on which to refuse to associate with or conduct business with a same-sex couple, constitutes hate speech and/or discrimination” in terms of the Equality Act.

If the Court were to make such an order, it would have broad implications – not only for Beloftebos, but for any business, organisation or even a private individual! Currently, Beloftebos is still waiting on the SAHRC, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) and the Minister of Justice, to deliver their response to Beloftebos. According to the SAHRC, the reason for their delay is the Commission’s “need to meet with the Minister’s legal team to strategize on our approach”. Beloftebos’ attorneys have written to the SAHRC to express their “astonishment” at the SAHRC’s express admission in this regard – not only because the SAHRC and the Minister are (supposed to be) independent parties to the dispute, but also because the SAHRC is an independent Chapter 9 institution mandated to protect all citizens against abuse, including abuse by other organs / persons of State.  However, it is clear from the SAHRC’s response that it is in fact “strategizing” with the Minister against the very citizens the Commission is supposed to protect! This caucusing only serves as confirmation of the unfairness with which the SAHRC has been treating Beloftebos to date. Read more

South Africa – President Ramaphosa forces conscientious objectors to violate their beliefs

In a sad turn of events, president Ramaphosa has signed the 2020 Civil Union Amendment Act which forces marriage officers who object because of their deeply held beliefs, to solemnise a civil union between persons of the same sex. The laws follow a number of high-profile cases where a marriage officer refused to solemnise a same-sex couple. Constitutional law expert Pierre De Vos said that the change will finally bring an end to a “particularly egregious form of unfair discrimination” but now the law discriminates against individuals who seek to be faithful to their beliefs. It follows to expect more such forceful laws on conscientious objectors in other areas of society. Read more

Canada – Former homosexual man pleads with government not to criminalize therapy

Canada’s Members of Parliament (MP’s) are being urged not to pass Bill 8 – reintroduced by the by the liberals in October as Bill C-6 – which would criminalize conversion therapy for minors who struggle with same-sex attraction or transgender inclinations. A Canadian man in a series of videos pleads with MP’s not to criminalise therapy that helps minors deal with the same struggles he did. Campaign Life’s director of political operations Jack Fonseca said the videos are essential to counteract the media’s misleading portrayal of “conversion” therapy. “It won’t report on people like Hudson and the others in our video series who can testify to the personal experience of finding healing for therapy and/or spiritual counselling to walk away from an LGBT lifestyle.” Read more